Energy conversion has spurred, among a wide variety of heat-saving devices and inventions, a widespread development and revitalization of the wood stove. In American today, there are literally hundreds of different brands of wood stoves on the market to choose from, all with claims to some heat-saving feature. Most of these stoves are made from cast iron or sheet metal or some combination of the two. However, there are a small number of stoves that include cemented ceramic tiles as their outer surfaces for collecting and radiating heat. Ceramic tiles have the distinct advantage over cast iron or steel plate of retaining heat longer, while being safer to touch without incurring a burn. Ceramic tiles are also believed in some quarters to be more decorative and easier to clean than their counterpart, cast iron or sheet metal stove surfaces. However, in the past ceramic stoves have been more costly to manufacture than metal stoves, and this, together with the lack of technology development of ceramic stoves in America, may account for their little presence in America.